Blogs

注： 以下法律分析是根據美國最高法院和聯邦第九巡迴上訴法院的判決而出的， 在加州、亞利桑那州、內華達州、蒙大拿州、愛達荷州、華盛頓州、俄勒岡州、阿拉斯加州、和夏威夷都具有法律約束力。由於聯邦第九巡迴上訴法院以往對政教分離的案件都發出對宗教言論最限制的判決，其他司法也許對宗教言論更加寬容。

問：公立學校能否為討好某方人仕而抵制聖誕節的慶祝？
答： 不可！「美國公民自由聯盟」（ACLU）這反宗教團體，多年來誤導校區，指慶祝聖誕或教導聖誕節的歷史和意義是違法的。此等謬論是絕對不合常理。每年的聖誕節在美國，甚至在全球，都是最重大的節日之一。 若要教育學生多元文化的常識，校方必須讓學生瞭解和尊重聖誕節對世界各地直接影響超過十億人口之重要性。
從法律觀點著眼，加州法例並不禁止學校採用含有宗教意識的藝術或音樂作教學之用。相反，公立學校老師若向學生們直接從聖經中誦讀聖誕故事，是完全合法的。法律唯一要求，是教師必須表明基督的誕生故事是基督徒的信仰，教師並不能藉此試圖說服學生成為基督徒。

問： 學校是否必需用「季節假期」、「冬令假日」或類似的屬名來取代「聖誕」呢？
答： 這是不合常理的。各法院，包括第九巡迴上訴法庭，一致認爲政府各部門，包括公立學校，皆可認定宗教假期，例如聖誕節和復活節。絕無必要迴避聖誕節用字。

No teacher should lose his or her job for the use of incidental, illustrative religious references. We will continue to pursue justice in this case so that every educator in California can be assured of their religious freedom.

Released LAST WEEKEND - The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry - Check out www.sperrymovie.com for theaters in your area.

The trial, now in its second week, will likely go to jury today or tomorrow. Karen Milam, lead counsel with Pacific Justice Institute and director of our Southern CA office along with PJI attorney Matt McReynolds have been defending dance instructor Villalobos and California law which allows intructors to use non-proselytizing references to religion while teaching, specifically indentifying dance instruction as an acceptable subject for use of such references. Check our website www.pacificjustice.org as updated become available.

Parents in Alameda have just filed a lawsuit seeking judicial enforcement of their rights under the California Education Code to opt their children out of a radical new curriculum pushing acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyles on students beginning in Kindergarten. Check out this week's press release.

Parents should really jump on this one. If this goes through we could see this happening around the country.

We are looking forward to this opportunity to defend the thousands of families who are making sacrifices each year to teach their children at home. The state should be applauding, not threatening, these families.